On Tuesday, the 5th of October 2021, I found myself struggling to get a good night’s sleep, perhaps due to either too much food or simply the fatigue accumulated from the previous days. My hand still throbbed and swollen from that horsefly bite.
Just before sunrise, I opened a window, and I saw an astonishing sight, I thought it is quite artificial. It resembled the vibrant images in some Asian restaurant’s walls, or the overly saturated photo prints on the staircase of Yodobashi Camera. Nevertheless, the tranquillity and the cool moisture in the air gave a sense of depth upon this landscape which I felt that almost falling into. I have enjoyed the view for while but when the sun light hit the magic dissolved. There were some time till breakfast so I had tried to sleep little bit more.
My departure was later than my usual schedule, I walked out of this quiet village, and crossed the red bridge which I saw from the window, and returning to the trail, then I began climbing towards Hatenashi Toge. It was sunny and steamy when I walked through the tiny village, which has an iconic view of Kohechi. I wasn’t particularly intrigued by the view, I just wanted to enter the forest pass to escape from the heat.
For the past two days, I didn’t encounter many people on the trail. However, as I got closer to Kumano shrine, I saw more people. I reached the peak in about two hours from the starting point, a bit too early for lunch, so I pressed on. After coming down from the Toge, I arrived at the river that I had seen from the summit. I walked along its banks, looking at the murky yet vivid blue water, wondering why it is so vivid, water should not be so deep, almost as if someone had spilled paint.
I reached a parking area “Michinoeki”, offering not only a “park view” with cars and motorcycles but also a river view. There were seating areas, toilets, and many vending machines, as is often the case. It was the perfect time for a bento lunch. After lunch, I walked on the tarmac for a while, only to realise that I had missed the right turn to rejoin the trail. Backtracking was always painful, especially on foot. It was merge point with the “Nakahechi,” the most common route. From there, the trail changed, looks like more “Kumanokodo,” a gentle downhill path through cedars and ferns leading to Kumano Shrine.
The old shrine, once stood on an island in the river, had been washed away in a flood long time ago. Now, only the gate remained, it is new, and metal. It was still quite impressive, especially after several days of walking to reach this point. I couldn’t spend too much time at the shrine, also I didn’t want to walk around too much, as I had to walk the “Dainichigoe” Pass which is not long, and the shortest route to reach Yunomineonsen, where I had booked a hostel. Glancing at the sun, and I was thinking how much time I have, once the sun goes down, it will be difficult to see the ground in the forest so I was rushing. When I got to the peak which is not high but I was greeted by the sunlight filtering through the trees. I guesstimated that I had about 15 minutes left, and when I got out from the trail in to someone’s back of hose, dusk was settling in.
The hostel featured an outdoor onsen bath, no view but really nice. Yunomineonsen area lacked nearby restaurants, so I bought small curry from the reception. It was a lighter dinner compared to the previous two nights. It was just 3 days, but I felt that I had walked for a week or so.
Kumanokodo Kohechi Section 4 & Dainichigoe. Approx 20km Yunomine Onsen
日の出前に目が覚める、疲労か過食かよく眠れなかった。アブに刺された手は腫れていて痛む。
窓を開けるとまるで絵の様な景色だ、アジアンレストランにかかっている様な、その彩度はヨドバシカメラの階段に掛けてあるプリントみたいに鮮やかだ。静寂と冷えた朝の湿度が妙に深い落ちていきそうな奥行きを与え、しばし眺めていた。朝日が直接当たると魔法は溶けていく。朝食まで時間があるのでもう少し寝る事にした。
出発はいつもよりも遅め。静かな村を出て窓から見た赤い橋を渡り古道に入り果無峠を登る。天気も良く湿度も上がる、写真で見る小辺路の石碑のところに来た、時間帯のせいだろうかそれ程印象的では無かった、それよりも早く涼しい森の中へと先へ進む。
二日間歩いている時はほとんど人を見かけなかったが熊野本宮に近づくにつれ人を見かける様になった。宿を出てから2時間ほどで峠を越える、昼にはまだ早いので下り川に出る、頂上付近から見えたところだろうか。川沿いを歩きながらあまり深そうでもない川なのにどうしてこんなにも青いのだろうかと思い進む。
道の駅に着く駐車場だけでなく川も眺められトイレもありテーブルもあり当然の用にいくつもの自販機。昼にする。そこから先も舗装の道を行くのだが途中曲がり角をすっかり見過ごし引き返すのは歩きでは一番きつい事である。ちょうど中辺路と合流する地点でそこからは熊野古道らしくなる、シダと杉の間を心地よく熊野本宮に向かって緩やかに降りていく。
中洲に元々あった神社は大水で昔になくなったらしい、今は金属の新しい鳥居が立っているだけ。ただやはり見応えある、特に歩いてここに到着すると。色々見歩くと時間も体力も使ってしまう、宿は湯ノ峰温泉のホステルに取ったので大日越、本宮から湯ノ峰への最短で丘を越えていく道だ、太陽を見てあとどれぐらい時間があるのか考える、上りから下りに差し掛かるあたりで木々の間から夕日が差し込む。あと15分くらいだろうか、丁度森から民家の裏に出る頃には夜の帳が下りてきた。
ホステルは小さいながらも温泉露天風呂があり休まる。湯ノ峰温泉付近は旅館のみなのだろう食事ができる所は無いので受付でカレーを買って食べる、今までの二晩とは違い軽い夕食。三日目だがすでに一週間くらい旅をしている様な気がする。
